CRASHAW, RICHARD. - English poet, b. in London in 1612, d. at Loreto on 21 Aug. 1649. Son of an anti-papal preacher, after the Puritan victory he converted to the Catholic Church and lived in Rome as secretary to Cardinal Pallotta. Alongside G. Herbert, he is one of the greatest religious poets of the 17th century, yet he stands apart from all others for the fervor and ecstasy that emanate from his verses.
More than to English sacred poetry, he is linked to Italian and Spanish sacred poetry, and among his many translations, that of Marino’s *Il Sospetto d’Ercole* (1637) deserves mention. His ardent religious temperament was especially drawn to St. Teresa, whose life inspired the lyrics *Hymn to the name and honour of the admirable s. Theresa* and *The flaming heart, upon the book and picture of seraphical s. Theresa*, by which Crashaw chiefly owes his fame. Less restrained than Herbert, Crashaw is often uneven and excessive, yet his lyrics—rich in conceits, as was the fashion of the time—are also filled with vivid and effective imagery and permeated throughout by a religious fire that often reaches the loftiest heights of spirituality, as in *Carmen Deo Nostro* (posthumous, Paris 1652), one of his most mature works. Among his non-sacred lyrics, the most famous is *Wishes to his (supposed) Mistress*.